Absorptive devices, such as diapers, catamenial pads, bed pads, incontinence briefs and the like are well known. These devices are used to absorb liquid from the human body and retain that liquid within an underlying absorbent core. It is also known to cover the exterior of these devices with a flexible, plastic backsheet to prevent the liquid absorbed into the core from striking through the absorptive device and soiling other adjacent clothing, such as bedding and wearing apparel. Although such waterproof plastic backsheets of the prior ar are highly effective in preventing strikethrough and in helping to contain the liquid within the absorptive device, they typically tend to be uncomfortable to wear when they make sustained contact with the skin. In addition, they often make embarrassing "rattling" or "rustling" noises when subjected to movement as a result of the wearer's normal body movements.
Great strides have been made in overcoming many of the negatives associated with such prior art fluid-impervious polymeric webs, particularly when they are employed as fluid-impervious backsheets in single use absorbent structures. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,793 issued to Linman et al. on Jul. 21, 1987 and incorporated herein by reference disclosed a particularly preferred non-occluding, liquid-impervious, composite backsheet for such absorptive devices. The backsheet disclosed in the aforementioned Linman et al. patent comprises a combination of two layers. The first layer, which does not contact the wearer's skin, is preferably comprised of a liquid-impervious polymeric film or a liquid-impervious coating. The second layer is preferably comprised of a polymeric film which has been made pervious to liquid by providing a multiplicity of relatively small protuberances, each ending in a tiny aperture, i.e., a microaperture, substantially across its entire surface. The microapertured protuberances, which resemble a tiny volcano in cross-section, exhibit a soft, highly preferred tactile impression which is sometimes characterized as "silky". Details of the second microapertured layer of the composite backsheet employed in the composite structure disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,793 to Linman et al. are fully set forth in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,643 issued to Curro et al. on Dec. 16, 1986, which patient is also incorporated herein by reference. The second microapertured layer in composite structures of the type disclosed in the aforementioned Linman et al. patient is oriented in use so that the tiny volcano-like cusps of the second layer constitute the exposed portion of the backsheet. Thus the second layer minimize the area of contact between the composite backsheet and the wearer's skin, while the first layer or coating renders the composite backsheet impervious to the passage of fluid.
Still another polymeric web material which has been found particularly suitable for use as a liquid-impervious backsheet in single-use structures such as diapers, sanitary napkins, etc. is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,821 issued to Lyons et al. on Jul. 11, 1989 and incorporated herein by reference. The Lyons et al. patent disclosed a microbubbled, substantially fluid-impervious polymeric web which exhibits a soft and cloth-like tactile impression as well as a low noise generation characteristic previously achievable only in fluid-pervious microapertured webs of the type disclosed in the aforementioned commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,643 to Curro et al. However, because each of the surface aberrations in the web of Lyons et al. exhibits an unruptured microbubble rather than a microaperture at its tip, the web of Lyons et al. remains substantially fluid-impervious. Accordingly, there is no need to provide either an additional fluid-impervious layer of polymeric film or to apply a fluid-impervious coating to the microbubbled web of Lyons et al. to render it substantially fluid-impervious.
Experience to date has demonstrated that consumers strongly prefer the soft, silky, cloth-like characteristics of microapertured and microbubbled polymeric webs of the type disclosed in the aforementioned commonly assigned patents to Lyons et al., Curro et al. and Linman et al. over substantially smooth surfaced polymeric webs of the type generally disclosed in the prior art, particularly in applications where the web ib intended to make sustained contact with the skin.
However, Applicants have unexpectedly discovered that the strong consumer preference for webs of the type disclosed in the aforementioned commonly assigned patents to Lyons et al., Curro et al. and Linman et al. can be enhanced even further by incorporating a contrasting visually discernible pattern which imparts an embossed appearance to the surface of such microapertured and microbubbled webs.